Instant Pot Lemon Risotto
Instant Pot Lemon Risotto is an easy side dish or main course that you can make in under 40 minutes. The best part? You don’t have to stand over the stove top to stir! Just let the Instant Pot do the work! Naturally gluten-free, this recipe is perfect for entertaining guests or for an easy weeknight dinner!
Do you always risotto at restaurants thinking that you could never make it yourself at home? Well you can! This easy Instant Pot lemon risotto takes out all of the guesswork of making risotto and results in a creamy, filling meal!
We served lemon risotto at our wedding and I wanted to create something similar at home. So that we could serve it to our guests at dinner parties or for an easy weeknight dinner and remember the fantastic meal we shared at our wedding. Well, this Instant Pot version is it!
The Instant Pot makes this risotto so easy to make and results in perfect lemon risotto everytime! I love to top mine with some fresh lemon wedges and parsley, but a touch of fresh parmesan will do the trick, too!
No matter if you serve it as a side dish or as the main meal, you’ll love this easy pressure cooker meal!
Table of Contents
What is risotto?
Risotto is an Italian dish made from rice that gets cooked in broth and other aromatics until very creamy. It often has cheese added in at the end of cooking.
It can be served with many proteins, including sausage, shrimp, scallops or even chicken. It is also often served with vegetables, such as peas.
Risotto can be a side dish to a fantastic meal or it can be the main course! It’s so filling and satisfying!
Is risotto gluten-free?
Risotto is typically gluten-free, but there are a few things that you should watch for to ensure your risotto is 100% gluten-free.
Risotto is made of rice which is in fact, gluten-free. The main culprit of gluten is in the stock or broth that the rice is cooked in.
Some stocks and broths include wheat in them. Be sure you are using a broth that is gluten-free to cook your risotto!
How is risotto typically prepared?
Risotto is typically cooked on the stove top. It involves adding broth to the pot in small amounts and then stirring until the rice has absorbed the liquids.
The process takes about 20-25 minutes in total, but requires a lot of hands on time. What if you don’t want to stand over the stove diligently stirring your risotto? There has to be another way, right? There is!
Why I love this Instant Pot risotto
Instant Pot risotto takes just as long as the traditional stove-top risotto but without all the fuss.
You don’t have to sit there and stir for 20 minutes. Instead, the Instant Pot does the work and it results in a creamy risotto.
I don’t know about you, but when I’m having guests over for dinner I want to serve something impressive, but easy. I don’t have time to stir risotto on the stove top while I’m entertaining guests.
This Instant Pot lemon risotto changes all that! Just spend a few minutes of sauté time in the Instant Pot to get your onions and garlic going and then go back to your party while the Instant Pot does the work. It’s that easy!
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Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe
Ingredients: olive oil, yellow onion, minced garlic, vegetable broth (or chicken broth), dry white wine, arborio rice, lemon juice, lemon zest, kosher salt, fresh grated parmesan, fresh parsley
Equipment:
- Instant Pot – I have this 6-quart model and it’s the perfect size!
- Glass Measuring Cup – I use the 2-cup size for so much, but it’s great for pouring in large amounts of broth into the Instant Pot!
Instant Pot Lemon Risotto FAQs
Risotto needs to be made using a short-grain starchy rice like arborio or carnaroli rice.
Both of these types of rice keep their shape very well and have a high starch content to create creamy risotto.
You do not have to use lemon in this recipe! I’ve tested it without lemon and it is still so flavorful! So if you want a plain risotto, you are in luck – just leave out the lemon juice and zest in this recipe!
I personally like the vegetable broth, but I have also tested this recipe with chicken broth. You could use a fish stock, too, if you’d like.
It sure can! The only dairy in this recipe is the parmesan cheese added to the risotto at the end. You can skip this part and your risotto will still be incredibly creamy!
Yes! Again, leave out the parmesan cheese as you would in the dairy-free version. But, also make sure to use a vegetable broth instead of a chicken broth.
I suggest a dry white wine for risotto, such as sauvignon blanc, pinot noir or pinot grigio. You only need 1/2 cup so make sure it is a white wine that you like to drink!
Even though you only need 1/2 cup, the wine adds a ton of flavor and some acidity to the risotto. However, if you’re out of white wine in your house don’t let that stop you from making this risotto! Use additional vegetable stock instead of the wine in this recipe. We already have some lemon juice in there for the acidity.
Looking for more gluten-free lemon recipes? Try these!
- Meyer Lemon Rosemary Bees Knees Gin Cocktail
- Gluten-Free Fruit Tart with Lemon Curd
- Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Scones
- Roasted Rainbow Carrots with Lemon Tahini Dressing
- Gluten-Free Lemon Poppyseed Cookie Bars
Instant Pot Lemon Risotto
Ingredients
For the Risotto:
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup onion (finely diced)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 4 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 2 cups arborio rice (or carnaroli rice)
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice (juice from 1 lemon)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
For Serving:
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest (zest from 1 lemon)
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan (optional)
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley (chopped)
- ground black pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Turn pressure cooker to sauté and allow to heat.
- Add the olive oil to the Instant Pot and let heat for 1 minute.
- Pour in the diced onions and sauté for 3 minutes.
- Then, stir in the minced garlic and sauté 1 minute longer.
- Pour in the arborio rice and stir the rice until it is coated with the olive oil and onions. Toast the rice for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the dry white wine to the Instant Pot and let simmer for about 2 minutes, until the rice has absorbed the wine.
- Stir in the lemon juice, vegetable broth and salt. Turn off the sauté function and place lid on pressure cooker. Set the vent to sealed.
- Set the Instant Pot to high pressure for 6 minutes. It will take about 15 minutes for the instant pot to come to pressure.
- Let the pressure release naturally for 7 minutes. Then, carefully manually release the pressure by opening the valve. Remove the lid and stir the risotto to mix the broth into the rice.
- Stir in the Parmesan Cheese, lemon zest and fresh parsley. Season with ground black pepper if you'd like.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- This recipe makes 6 side servings, or 4 main servings.
- Use a dry white wine, like sauvignon blanc, pinot noir or pinot grigio in this recipe.
- Use vegetable broth instead of the wine if you do not have any on hand.
- To Make Dairy-Free: Omit the parmesan in the recipe.
- To Make Vegan: Omit the parmesan and use a vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
Nutrition
I’m Megan
A gluten-free food blogger from Chicago and lover of all things food, showing you gluten-free can be easy and delicious, too. Let’s make gluten-free stress free together! Read more…
Delicious and easy to follow recipe. 🙂
Best risotto ever. Loved it and was so easy to make.
Just found this recipe and an interested in making it tonight to go with some Greek chicken thighs. Don’t have any parsley though. I have three fresh options – green onions, basil, or mint. Thoughts on whether any of those might work instead of the parsley?
I think the basil would be great! Green onions would be my other choice if you want to try those instead.
I miss your having the time for prep and the time for cooking, as well as a way to halve or double the recipe, as smoother sites do. I have made this dish before, but not from YOUR recipe – yours looks perfect as I cannot find my old recipe! Thank you!
Hi JD, The recipe card actually does include the prep and time for cooking in it and it’s also referenced throughout the body of the post. As for halving or doubling this recipe, I do not include this information as I find it gets confusing for readers. You can easily half or double the recipe though! I hope you enjoy the risotto.